"Only in America could a woman turn grief into a brand, heartbreak into media bookings, and widowhood into a multi-platform franchise. And only in Trump’s America could CBS gaze upon this spectacle and think: Yes, prime time. Saturday at 8.
"Welcome to the Erika Kirk Show, the influencer version of “Terms of Endearment,” except this one comes with sponsorships, a publicist, and a photo shoot."
I can't thank you enough for your posts.. this one especially . It is the clarity of the situation. The Charlie Kirk killing was wrong but to make him into some kind of an apostle is unforgivable. You are right, no one mentions the killings of Melissa and Mark Hortman. We are living in despicable times. It is unbearable. I have had a wondeful life. I know I am fortunate . I grew up in a family that believed in civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, collective bargaining. We marched against the Viet Nam War, the Iraq War. It was never against the soldier. Four of my brothers served proudly .. and later marched as well. All this effort,they are trying to throw all that out. And trying to do so much more so that at the end whatever we were will be no more. I will keep doing my part for as long as I can and hope for the best . lost in america Thanks again Steve.
It's not news. That's the point. This is what CBS has become under the Ellisons as they ass-kiss Donnie on their way into the trillionsphere. Wait till they get Warner Bros-HBO-CNN.
Let us never forget that Charlie Kirk said all the people shot and killed were worth it to maintain his vision of the second amendment. NRA talking points spilled from his mouth constantly, and he advocated violence to achieve his ends. It was a money maker for him. Follow the money.
The fact that POSOTUS is holding up an inverted Bible in that photo is almost poetic. We’re a nation full of “Christians” unfamiliar with the New Testament.
I used to work in NC amongst all those Baptists. I would ask them if the Bible is the most important book in your life, then tell me about the books of the Bible. Say, what is the book of Deuteronomy about? Nobody could tell me.
All of this is just accelerating the demise of traditional media, which at this point can only be seen as a positive step. I'm very sorry for the honorable professionals who will be casualties of this transition, but the direction is clear and now unstoppable. This is why those in new media, like Steve, are so important to the evolution of where this is going, helping lead us to the next iteration of country.
Good morning Steve, On the mark as always. This long slow coup is stoked by CAPITULATION, perhaps, but the owners of corporate media have been in on it for a long time, since their money bought out independeny media over the last few, decades, since Reagan. You know who and where they are.
Absolutely! I've been thinking about Teddy. Like his cousin, a "traitor to his class." And, he became President because he was only VP and the President was shot and died a week later. Which is to say, his priorities were not exposed directly to attack and voted on directly. How do we reproduce that? (Maybe we don't need to...)
That's what happens when your too big to fail and why you should never be too big to fail.
Case in point: Bank of America ( BoFA ). Prior to the Graham - Leech - Biley act of the late 90's, BoFA would not have been allowed to expand outside of California. The Glass-Steagall act prevented this ( GLB act repealed this ). So, what's wrong with BoFA expanding outside of California? When BoFA let's say is only in one state when or if it fails it will only mostly affect California. But, when BoFA is in all 50 states and if / when it fails it will and can take down the entire economy. It's one of the reasons the GS act was passed after the great depression.
If your too big to fail.....you're too big. Break them up, spin them off and don't allow it again. For a political party, the MAGANAZIs that tout free trade and competition they certainly do 100% the opposite.
This reminds me of the movie Network, where a sincere Howard Beale's frustration and depression lead him to declare that he will kill himself on-air. This results in Diana Christiansen, an ambitious ratings-crazy executive, rebranding this sick man as “the mad prophet of the airwaves” who rants about corruption, dehumanization, and the emptiness of television while dressed in a monk‑like robe under theatrical lighting. Beale is increasingly unstable and convinced he is channeling a higher power, but the network brands his breakdown as a recurring segment, building the entire “news” hour around his nightly screeds.
The news becomes a revival meeting, complete with a live studio audience that cheers, applauds, and chants on cue, effectively becoming a character in itself. These “congregants” respond to his call‑and‑response rants and embody the viewers who are “mad as hell” yet pacified by the catharsis of televised outrage rather than actual change.
All of this entropy is condoned and managed by the corporate executives and sponsors who care more about the short-term profits than any charter of what the news is supposed to do for public service.
Remember, this movie was made during the late-Murrow era where Walter Cronkite was the "most trusted man in America." LBJ famously said "I've lost Cronkite" was a defining moment in his decision to sit out the 1968 campaign, such was his influence. It seemed remarkably far-fetched.
Now we are at the point when every outrage is monetized, and truth is beside the point. The worst thing about all of this is the stark indifference to the massive suffering this parade of sadistic clowns causes every day. Look at the photos of American babies with Measles, or the first-person accounts of dark-complected American citizens being pulled out of cars by masked thugs who cosplay as Navy SEALS despite being prohibited from owning firearms because of violent felonies.
There's been a flood of tiktoks and IGs showing the "inside job" of killing Charlie Kirk, frame by frame. The hearing for the supposed killer Tyler Fitzgerald was done in secret for ... reasons. Why is there no investigation? Or is that more support for the "conspiracy theory"? I swear, someone has succeeded in giving "conspiracy theories" a bad name.
I 100% am with you on this. How did we both know that the Bakers and other religious celebs were grifters or in it for the fame and money? Has the ability of people to form their own opinions or the desire for independent, individual thought disappeared because of the technological, COVID, family breakdown, isolation of the human social animal? Do many grasp at any identity, any group-think more easily because of lack of "community," parental guidance/involvement?
Was group blindness, brainwashing always so easy with disenfranchised groups? I cannot forget Jonestown, Nazis, dictatorships etc. Maybe nothing has changed except people know more about it today.
Humans are animals and use their intelligence to try to convince themselves that they are NOT? Should we look to the animal world to solve the violence, oppression, need for a "group," how to live peacefully in a world of plenty, when so many want to own "it and us" ALL?
Many females today here and around the world do not want to marry or have children. They prefer to be in a safer, more predictable life of their own choosing. That has to be be a signal of selective mating choices and true evolutionary survival behavior.
What female wants to have a baby girl in today's world? Live with, depend on males to be protective, loyal, predictable, act like an equal? What do you think?
Our nation is beginning to feel like a zombie apocalypse. The zombies can’t be reasoned with, they must be removed from office as quickly as possible. And we need to address the super spreaders of this intellectual rot, right wing media.
I like Julie Roginsky's take on Ms. Kirk....
"Only in America could a woman turn grief into a brand, heartbreak into media bookings, and widowhood into a multi-platform franchise. And only in Trump’s America could CBS gaze upon this spectacle and think: Yes, prime time. Saturday at 8.
"Welcome to the Erika Kirk Show, the influencer version of “Terms of Endearment,” except this one comes with sponsorships, a publicist, and a photo shoot."
@DC Cougar
dishonoring
The Kennedy Center Honors
https://ojaiohana.substack.com/p/essay-and-video-dishonoring-the-kennedy?r=5chxge
@DC Cougar
[UPDATED] Trump: "I need you right now, Pedophiles"
https://open.substack.com/pub/ojaiohana/p/trump-i-need-you-right-now-pedophiles?r=5chxge&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
I can't thank you enough for your posts.. this one especially . It is the clarity of the situation. The Charlie Kirk killing was wrong but to make him into some kind of an apostle is unforgivable. You are right, no one mentions the killings of Melissa and Mark Hortman. We are living in despicable times. It is unbearable. I have had a wondeful life. I know I am fortunate . I grew up in a family that believed in civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, collective bargaining. We marched against the Viet Nam War, the Iraq War. It was never against the soldier. Four of my brothers served proudly .. and later marched as well. All this effort,they are trying to throw all that out. And trying to do so much more so that at the end whatever we were will be no more. I will keep doing my part for as long as I can and hope for the best . lost in america Thanks again Steve.
Mary, I am with you in feeling like this is unbearable. But we will keep fighting.
Yes we will Helen !
🙏 Mary. Yes, we were indeed lucky.
oh so very lucky Robin ! we will keep on keeping on.
How is this news? It’s nothing but a telethon for religious bigots.
It's not news. That's the point. This is what CBS has become under the Ellisons as they ass-kiss Donnie on their way into the trillionsphere. Wait till they get Warner Bros-HBO-CNN.
One has to ask, “Does America really need another Fox or NewsMax?” It seems Bari Weiss is intent on giving us more of that same twisted bullshit.
I know Kim. Terrible what has happened. Like they think we’re all brainwashed idiots.
Let us never forget that Charlie Kirk said all the people shot and killed were worth it to maintain his vision of the second amendment. NRA talking points spilled from his mouth constantly, and he advocated violence to achieve his ends. It was a money maker for him. Follow the money.
Truth is the enemy to these fascists
And they are glib with their lies.
like gun oil ...
Naw... More like piss in a tin can.
Lol love your style Mike :)
The fact that POSOTUS is holding up an inverted Bible in that photo is almost poetic. We’re a nation full of “Christians” unfamiliar with the New Testament.
We're a nation of Christians unfamiliar with the entire Bible and no clue to what it says
I used to work in NC amongst all those Baptists. I would ask them if the Bible is the most important book in your life, then tell me about the books of the Bible. Say, what is the book of Deuteronomy about? Nobody could tell me.
It’s sad
The 60-some vignettes in that tome are all more-or-less equally ridiculous.
Bruce help me out. I am clear on what you are saying
Sorry not clear
inverted reality
"POSOTUS" is a great new acronym. Thank you!
All of this is just accelerating the demise of traditional media, which at this point can only be seen as a positive step. I'm very sorry for the honorable professionals who will be casualties of this transition, but the direction is clear and now unstoppable. This is why those in new media, like Steve, are so important to the evolution of where this is going, helping lead us to the next iteration of country.
and new media like Steve's Substack
CBS is simply the propaganda arm of the Trump regime posing as a reliable source of news.
The new fox network with its head Bari W. John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois will be missed though.
Good morning Steve, On the mark as always. This long slow coup is stoked by CAPITULATION, perhaps, but the owners of corporate media have been in on it for a long time, since their money bought out independeny media over the last few, decades, since Reagan. You know who and where they are.
Boycotting them and costing them money is the only way to render them ineffective and irrelevant.
Ooh, I think breaking them up is called for.
Absolutely called for!
We need a 21st century Teddy Roosevelt trust buster. It's way past due.
When your business is large enough and powerful enough to have it's own space program ( Blue origins - Amazon ) you're way too big
Absolutely! I've been thinking about Teddy. Like his cousin, a "traitor to his class." And, he became President because he was only VP and the President was shot and died a week later. Which is to say, his priorities were not exposed directly to attack and voted on directly. How do we reproduce that? (Maybe we don't need to...)
Worse, none of them should ever be bailed out if they're failing. Their failure is opportunity for others. Isn't that the way it is supposed to work?
That's what happens when your too big to fail and why you should never be too big to fail.
Case in point: Bank of America ( BoFA ). Prior to the Graham - Leech - Biley act of the late 90's, BoFA would not have been allowed to expand outside of California. The Glass-Steagall act prevented this ( GLB act repealed this ). So, what's wrong with BoFA expanding outside of California? When BoFA let's say is only in one state when or if it fails it will only mostly affect California. But, when BoFA is in all 50 states and if / when it fails it will and can take down the entire economy. It's one of the reasons the GS act was passed after the great depression.
If your too big to fail.....you're too big. Break them up, spin them off and don't allow it again. For a political party, the MAGANAZIs that tout free trade and competition they certainly do 100% the opposite.
Thank you, Steve, for your moral clarity, your ongoing battle against evil, and for a sane, democratic America.
This reminds me of the movie Network, where a sincere Howard Beale's frustration and depression lead him to declare that he will kill himself on-air. This results in Diana Christiansen, an ambitious ratings-crazy executive, rebranding this sick man as “the mad prophet of the airwaves” who rants about corruption, dehumanization, and the emptiness of television while dressed in a monk‑like robe under theatrical lighting. Beale is increasingly unstable and convinced he is channeling a higher power, but the network brands his breakdown as a recurring segment, building the entire “news” hour around his nightly screeds.
The news becomes a revival meeting, complete with a live studio audience that cheers, applauds, and chants on cue, effectively becoming a character in itself. These “congregants” respond to his call‑and‑response rants and embody the viewers who are “mad as hell” yet pacified by the catharsis of televised outrage rather than actual change.
All of this entropy is condoned and managed by the corporate executives and sponsors who care more about the short-term profits than any charter of what the news is supposed to do for public service.
Remember, this movie was made during the late-Murrow era where Walter Cronkite was the "most trusted man in America." LBJ famously said "I've lost Cronkite" was a defining moment in his decision to sit out the 1968 campaign, such was his influence. It seemed remarkably far-fetched.
Now we are at the point when every outrage is monetized, and truth is beside the point. The worst thing about all of this is the stark indifference to the massive suffering this parade of sadistic clowns causes every day. Look at the photos of American babies with Measles, or the first-person accounts of dark-complected American citizens being pulled out of cars by masked thugs who cosplay as Navy SEALS despite being prohibited from owning firearms because of violent felonies.
This is our reality. This is what must change.
We're mad as Hell and we're not going to take it
There's been a flood of tiktoks and IGs showing the "inside job" of killing Charlie Kirk, frame by frame. The hearing for the supposed killer Tyler Fitzgerald was done in secret for ... reasons. Why is there no investigation? Or is that more support for the "conspiracy theory"? I swear, someone has succeeded in giving "conspiracy theories" a bad name.
I love the Serena Joy comparison because it is so on the mark. Bari Weiss is an embarrassment to women everywhere.
I 100% am with you on this. How did we both know that the Bakers and other religious celebs were grifters or in it for the fame and money? Has the ability of people to form their own opinions or the desire for independent, individual thought disappeared because of the technological, COVID, family breakdown, isolation of the human social animal? Do many grasp at any identity, any group-think more easily because of lack of "community," parental guidance/involvement?
Was group blindness, brainwashing always so easy with disenfranchised groups? I cannot forget Jonestown, Nazis, dictatorships etc. Maybe nothing has changed except people know more about it today.
Humans are animals and use their intelligence to try to convince themselves that they are NOT? Should we look to the animal world to solve the violence, oppression, need for a "group," how to live peacefully in a world of plenty, when so many want to own "it and us" ALL?
Many females today here and around the world do not want to marry or have children. They prefer to be in a safer, more predictable life of their own choosing. That has to be be a signal of selective mating choices and true evolutionary survival behavior.
What female wants to have a baby girl in today's world? Live with, depend on males to be protective, loyal, predictable, act like an equal? What do you think?
Our nation is beginning to feel like a zombie apocalypse. The zombies can’t be reasoned with, they must be removed from office as quickly as possible. And we need to address the super spreaders of this intellectual rot, right wing media.
Thank you for making me laugh even as I am filled with outrage...that side by side pic of Serena Joy and Erica Kirk is perfection.
I’ve not seen a collection of clowns like this crew since the Axis signed the Tripartite Pact in 1940.